Navy revokes imprisoned Vietnam veteran's Silver Star

In a highly unusual move, the Navy secretary has stripped a Silver Star awarded to a retired captain and Vietnam swift boat veteran who is serving a federal prison sentence after admitting to possessing child pornography, the Navy Times reported.

Retired Capt. Wade Sanders was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest award for valor, in 1992. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to one count of possessing child pornography after the FBI found pornographic videos on his computers, according to the Times, and received a 37-month sentence as part of a plea deal. He has maintained he isn’t a pedophile and was researching the subject for a book he planned to write.

Capt. Pamela Kunze, a spokeswoman for Navy secretary Ray Mabus, told the Navy Times that "additional information was brought to light after 1992" that would have prevented the awarding of the medal had it been known at the time. It was unclear whether the child porn conviction is the reason the Silver Star was rescinded.